11:45am: Scherzer can opt out of the contract after the 2023 season, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. There’s also a full no-trade clause in the pact, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The $130MM guarantee will be distributed at an even $43.333MM in each year of the deal, Sherman adds.
11:41am: The agreement has been finalized and is now a “done deal,” tweets Martino.
11:03am: The Mets and three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer are finalizing a three-year contract worth $130MM, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. There are only “minor details” left to be sorted out before the Scott Boras client puts pen to paper on a contract that will shatter Gerrit Cole’s $36MM annual value record. SNY’s Andy Martino had suggested just minutes beforehand that the two parties were moving close to an agreement.
The Scherzer signing is the latest in a frenzied series of free-agent signings for a Mets club that added Starling Marte (four years, $78MM), Mark Canha (two years, $26.5MM) and Eduardo Escobar (two years, $20MM) over the weekend. Scherzer joins a Mets rotation already headlined by one of the generation’s best pitchers, Jacob deGrom, giving the club a one-two punch with a combined five Cy Young Awards and 12 All-Star appearances.
As can be seen on MLBTR’s updated list of the highest average annual values (AAVs) in MLB history, the $43.33MM annual value on Scherzer’s contract establishes a new precedent by a whopping $7.33MM. MLBTR predicted would handily top the previous $36MM record by signing a three-year, $120MM deal — but he’ll break the prior record by an even wider margin. As one of the eight players on the MLBPA’s executive subcommittee, Scherzer undoubtedly takes pride in advancing the AAV record forward by more than 20 percent.
It comes as something of a surprise to see the deep-pocketed Dodgers outbid on the very type of short-term, huge-AAV deals they tend to prioritize, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested this morning that Los Angeles perhaps preferred to stick to a two-year term. Scherzer, confident in his own abilities and quite likely heartened by the Mets’ aggressive weekend, opted to jump to a club that missed the postseason entirely in 2021 but has quickly come to look more formidable (and surely isn’t yet done with its winter dealings).
The contract carries some obvious risk for the Mets, given not only the sheer magnitude of the number but also given that they’re acquiring Scherzer’s age-37 through age-39 seasons. He’ll turn 40 years old shortly before the contract draws to a conclusion, and the dead arm that plagued him late in the playoffs could certainly have given some interested parties a bit of pause. Still, Scherzer is effectively an unprecedented free agent — so an unprecedented contract only feels fitting.
With three Cy Youngs in his back pocket already, plus another trio of Top 3 finishes (and a pair of fifth-place finishes), Scherzer has emerged as the greatest pitcher of the current generation. He’d be a slam-dunk Hall of Famer even if he retired today, but he’ll spend the next three seasons in Queens, hoping to help the Mets not only secure their first postseason berth since 2016 but win their first World Series title since 1986.
Despite his age, Scherzer remains one of the most dominant pitchers on the planet. Among the 129 pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched in 2021, Scherzer ranked fourth in ERA (2.46), tenth in FIP (2.97), third in strikeout rate (34.1%), 11th in walk rate (5.2%), second in K-BB% (28.9%) and third in swinging-strike rate (15.9%). He was well above average in terms of limiting hard contact, and Statcast pegged him in the 91st percentile or better in expected opponents’ batting average, expected ERA and expected opponents’ wOBA. Whether you prefer those newer metrics or simply to look at Scherzer’s 15-4 record, minuscule ERA and a similarly microscopic 0.86 WHIP — there’s no getting around the fact that “Mad Max” is not just a bona fide ace but is still one of the game’s truly elite pitchers, even in his late 30s.
The opt-out decision in Scherzer’s contract will be fascinating when it’s due. If he continues at that historic level and wants to continue pitching into his 40s, there’s every reason to expect he could find a better deal than that one-year, $43.33MM commitment for the 2024 season. After all, we just saw another future Hall of Famer, Justin Verlander, sign a two-year deal that guaranteed him $50MM through his age-39 and age-40 seasons — at a time when he’d only thrown six innings in a two-year period, owing to Tommy John surgery. Wild as it might sound for a 39-year-old Scherzer to forgo a one-year deal at more than $43MM, the possibility shouldn’t be completely dismissed.
For the 2022-23 seasons, however, Scherzer joins deGrom atop a Mets rotation that isn’t short on injury risk but is also teeming with talent. That iconic pairing will be followed by the likes of Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, David Peterson and Tylor Megill — though it certainly remains possible that the Mets will further augment the starting staff. Though both Megill and Peterson have shown plenty of promise, either has solidified himself as an MLB contributor over multiple big league seasons. And, with limited upper-level depth behind the current top five, it’s easy to see the appeal in installing another veteran arm and pushing Megill and Peterson to “overqualified” Triple-A depth roles in the event of injuries on the big league staff.
The recent free-agent flurry leaves the Mets with a jaw-dropping $268MM payroll projection, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, with upwards of $273MM in luxury-tax obligations. Even with that stratospheric number in place, however, we’re not even two weeks removed from owner Steve Cohen stating plainly at GM Billy Eppler’s introductory press conference that when it comes to payroll for Eppler and the rest of the baseball operations department: “It’s whatever they need.”
We can’t know exactly what lies in store for the luxury-tax system — not with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire this week — but it appears all but set in stone that the Mets will be penalized to an extent in each of the next two seasons. Beyond the aforementioned $273MM in luxury obligations for the 2022 season, New York already has more than $191MM in luxury obligations in 2023. The team’s ultra-aggressive couple of weeks since Eppler joined the organization suggests that number will climb with not only additional moves in the current offseason but quite likely in the 2022-23 offseason.
This type of spending spree is perhaps the exact scenario Mets fans dreamed of when Cohen purchased the Mets from the Wilpon family — an ownership group that had never taken payroll beyond $158MM despite playing in the game’s largest market. Cohen’s aggressive spending and public candor even on baseball operations matters (e.g. his frustration regarding Steven Matz negotiations) hearken back to another famed New York owner, the late George Steinbrenner, who never shied away from impulsive personnel decisions or speaking his mind.
It won’t become clear for years whether this will be the norm under Cohen or if he merely felt compelled to act opportunistically in such a deep free-agent market. That’s of little consequence in the immediate future, however; Cohen and Eppler are living in the here-and-now, aggressively adding to a Mets roster that looks considerably more like a postseason threat than it did even 96 hours ago. There’s little reason to expect the Mets to take their foot off the gas, even if some of the remaining moves have to wait until the looming lockout has been resolved.
Photo courtesy of Imagn/USA Today Sports.
Good for Max, holding out for that extra $1m.
Yes, it is good for Max, and good for baseball. He replaces that scumbag Bauer as highest AAV. Bauer’s was 2/$86 when you pencil in the opt-out.
These million dollar contracts have never been good for baseball. The game itself is still a great thing but greed has ruined it. Scott Boras epitomizes greed. Max is a bum that quit on the Dodgers. The Mets deserve him.
absolutely true. Comical to me these people pull for players to get more when greater salaries = higher ticket prices.
Why would you rather have the billionaire owners get all the money?
Ticket prices would rise regardless. Teams are going to charge what people are willing to pay.
Yeah, why would you want to be paid more money for being the best at what you do…. Hmmmmmm
Must be a dodgers fan.
Why do you have a problem with the millions paid to the players (the guys you go to watch who actually entertain you) but have no problem with the billions made by the owners?
Yea let the owners keep more of it… These guys don’t buy franchises for the fun of it, they are businesses and investments that produce buckets of cash. Even the “small markets” don’t let them fool you. That’s why there is gonna be a lockout because players want more of the pie and rightly so. They are a small group of highly specialized and professional individuals who produce billions in revenue every year for these businesses collectively.
Tickets prices are a function of supply and demand. If people couldn’t or wouldn’t pay the ticket prices, ownership would lower the price. But the tickets sell.
50 years from now no one will remember the name of Maz Scherzer but they’ll still know who Lou Gehrig was. Why? Because he was great yet humble. Humility is a lost trait in professional sports today. What could you do with 43 million a year to help other people? Sad commentary.
Teams are running a business. They will price tickets at a level that maximizes revenue, regardless of the payroll they have. To suggest that big contracts increase ticket prices implies that teams were leaving revenue on the table previously, which would be nuts.
Who do you think is more likely to help humanity with that $43MM, Max Scherzer or Steve Cohen? Because it ain’t like the money was going to charity if they didn’t sign him…..
How did he quit on the Dodgers?
Quit? Wtf are you talking about? His arm had nothing left at that point. He gutted it out
Meh. Broadcasting rights sell.
Exactly. I’m a Dodgers fan and a comment like this just makes us look dumb lol. Max is a warrior, Dave Roberts mismanagement of our pitching staff is what cost us the World Series, not Max quitting on us.
Agreed. something is wrong when as a teen I earned minimum wage and was able to buy field box Section Four at Yankee Stadium and today, those same seats are out of my grasp even though I own a home on Long Island and earn a good salary.
You idiot. The players are making millions while the owners are making billions, and we are paying for it all. Knock off the nonsense.
The system is broke. Field box seats in 1978 cost less than $6.00. Per an Internet search, those same seats in 2021 should be around $25.00.
Why do you think that the only two choices are to the player or in the owners pockets? It nowhere near that simple. And what’s wrong with owners profiting anyway?
Owners aren’t making billions off this sport
@Alr013
I know I would. Everything from tickets to parking to concessions to my cable bill would be cheaper.
Prices have a direct correlation to cost.
They will remember Lou Gehrig because of ALS. They won’t know or care he was a baseball player.
Tell me you don’t know what makes ticket prices rise, without telling me you don’t know what make ticket prices rise
@rodbeck
Sorry, I forgot. Ticket prices are a direct correlation to skin color — they’re currently set at whites-only prices.
@dewey. I agree. I haven’t been to game at a MLB ballpark in years. Prices are ridiculous. Not to mention where I live it’s about a 5 hour drive to the Rockies stadium each way (which is the nearest stadium). Now that’s even more undesirable as the Rockies will be putting out a mostly AAAA team for the near future. I myself enjoys a good competition not the watered down teams half the league are putting out these days.
One could argue they put the most money on the line as an investment so why shouldnt they reap the benefits? If you were a stock holder should you get a dividend or should that go to the employees?
Sour grapes. Roberts screwed his starters by bringing them in for relief. LA has 2 top starters and Kershaw who can give them 15 starts at $2.5 mil a pop. Scherzer gives the Mets a less expensive per starter who is reliable.
Max did a lot for charity in the Washington DC area in his time here. Some of that work continued after he left for the Dodgers. Max was the epitome of a team player. I believe his team mates would differ regarding his humility. He is a great hall of fame player and will be remembered as such.
You make that statement and you don’t know Max or what he actually does with his money to support the less fortunate.
@barelybreathin so are you saying that just because someone collects $43 million a year they can’t be humble!? You do realize that Gherig, at one point, was the highest paid player in baseball right? And I’m sorry, but there’s nothing wrong with having personality in the sport. Personality you can argue is what people remember more. That’s why they call old Yankee stadium the house that Ruth built, not Gherig.
No one is saying we want the owners to keep the money, but owners have overhead expenses. Players do not. I love baseball, but ticket prices are out of control. The CBA is represented by the owners vs the players, but we need a fan representative too. Ticket prices need to decrease and as revenue decreases for the owners players salaries need to come down accordingly.
The billionaire owners take all the risks. Players simply sign on the dotted line and then decide whether or not to give a crap because they get the money no matter what they do on the field. Besides, the owners aren’t in this to make money for everyone else. They get to have a piece of pie, too.
You can tell who hasn’t taken an economics class. Ticket prices are based on demand, not salary. Like just about everything else in a capitalist society.
He will be in the hall of fame.
Dewey
Per the US inflation calculator $6 in 1978 would be worth $25.42 in 2021 so the cost of those seats are merely keeping pace with inflation.
Billionaires earned it by being born rich and/or defrauding the public.
He “quit” on the Dodgers? He signed a VERY long contract with the Nationals, and they shipped him out… Expecting the ace of a WS staff to feel loyalty to a team he’d spent a couple months on seems a lot like mental gymnastics.
No. I’m a Padres fan.
Wait..what?
NAH, PEOPLE WILL REMEMBER MAX SCHERZER IN 50 YEARS. I STILL REMEMBER JIM PALMER,Tom seaver, Steve Carlton, and Sandy Koufax. IT’S HARD TO FORGET 3 TIME CY YOUNG AWARD WINNERS.
EASY TO SPEND OTHER PEOPLES MONEY, IF YOU WERE IN SCHERZERS POSITION IM SURE YOU’D ONLY TAKE 100,000 DOLLARS A YEAR SALARY BECAUSE YOU CAN LIVE VERY Comfortably ON THAT AND GIVE THE OTHER 42 MILLION TO A BUNCH OF PEOPLE YOU DON’T IN THE 3RD WORLD.
GIVE ME 10YEARS AND UNLIMITED RECOURSES AND I COULD TURN 99/100 people into doctors/physicists/teachers But with the exact same amount of time and money I would be 0/100 turning people into max SCHERZERS.
Absolutely. The owners are not giving out their money to Max or anybody else. They are giving out your money. The consumers. The owners are just a conduit passing some of your money to the players.
deweybelongsinthehall
The system is broke. Field box seats in 1978 cost less than $6.00. Per an Internet search, those same seats in 2021 should be around $25.00.
=====================================
It’s not baseball that is broken. It is the federal budget that is broken. This is political, but economic. If we spent less, or taxed more, we wouldn’t have as much free cash floating thru the system. At a $1 trillion deficit, that means we giving 337M people ~ $3,000 to spend. That’s what’s driving prices.
That said, a lot of that ‘free’ money is chasing entertainment experiences. When I saw Led Zepplin in the late-70s, the MSG tickets cost $15 each. When I saw McCartney a couple of years back, it was a good bit over $100. Same as movies.
@Barelybrethin
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
People will always know who Lou Gehrig was because of ALS. If he hadn’t gotten sick, he’d probably be as famous as Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Bill Terry. Not many people outside of baseball fans know who those guys were.
Scherzer does a boatload of stuff to help other people.
From the Nationals website;
“Max Scherzer and his wife, Erica, have a long history of philanthropic investment in the D.C. region. Since 2015, the Scherzers are the largest individual donors (on a cash basis) to Washington Nationals Philanthropies. In addition to the investment in the Legacy Field, their contributions have supported baseball and softball programming at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, rapid relief initiatives to bring resources to the community during a time of crisis, and joint-fundraising campaigns to support animal care and rescue.”
Quit on the Dodgers? C’mon. Dodgers got the most out of him. They used him in an unconventional way in the playoffs and paid the price. Who knows, maybe he would have had a dead arm even in a conventional usage. All the more reasons not to give him $43mm over three years. Can’t blame him for taking all that money from the Mets. Most would do the same. I suspected that the Dodgers didn’t really want to bring back Scherzer, at least not at these astronomical rates. He’s still obviously an elite pitcher but with added risk given his age.
So Barelybreathin, do you turn down pay raises? To expect others to is absolutely laughable. As is the notion that Scherzer won’t b remembered in 50 yrs. He will have a well deserved plaque in Cooperstown and hold his place in baseball lore.
Most billionaires earn it. They start off with some money, and then turn it into really big money.
Mr. Gates and Mr, Dell thank you for using their products and making them billionaires.
I see half empty stadiums everywhere, and not just since covid. If people were willing to pay the prices, we would be seeing sellouts regularly. So ticket prices on a scalpers market may be based on demand, the teams prices are not. TV money is generating the revenue. That’s why playoff games end at midnite on the east coast. Take the kids out of the viewership and then wonder why they aren’t fans. Raise the ticket prices and wonder why families don’t come. Its killing the game.
That’s not how that works.
Your opinion would make sense if the revenue of baseball had stayed the same. It hasn’t. The players, without which we do not have the game we love, deserve to get half the revenue that is being brought in if not more. Guys like Max earn and deserve every penny they get.
Other than COVID years, you have not seen many half empty stadiums. More people attended games in 2019 than at any time in the 1960s and 1970s. More people watch on TV. More people watch via streaming services and subscription services.
In fact, between in-person, TV, and streaming, in 2019 more people watched a live MLB game than any year in history. MLB had record revenue in 2019 and it went UP in 2021 even with so few fans allowed in stadiums. Baseball is not dying. The way people watch is changing. Dinosaurs like you are dying.
Joe
There is a term on it, it is called the multiplier effect. Basically every dollar injected into the economy circulates 6-8x depending on the strength of the economy, savings rates etc. when more of those dollars go to the uber wealthy the more spent on luxury items vs basic staples and consumer goods- less impact on the economy.
Perhaps not, but the Mets have so many holes it can be argued that that money could have been better spent by Cohen elsewhere, on a variety of positions, to improve the club.
What’s going to happen when they are up against the LT and still remain a mediocore club due to said holes. Does Cohen go over the limit to improve or does the money he gave Max give him pause?
lol…you must be a Yankee fan…too bad the Yankees are shopping in the clearance aisle this offseason…
Tickets prices go up because owners are not going to take less. I’m in the Miami area and the Marlins, who always has seats available. Maybe 1/3 of the stadium full on regular basis, still 2 people over $120. I grew up on Jerome Ave, walking distance to Yankee Stadium and me & my friends would be able to get in for less than $15 each. If a person cannot live on $10 mill a year then they need a better agent or financial advisor.
People won’t remember Max Scherzer in 50 years?? I mean, tomorrow is never a guarantee and if the world ends in nuclear conflict, then yea Scherzer won’t be talked about, but assuming people still play and care about baseball, Mad Max is going to be talked about. He’s one of the best pitchers of this generation. That gets you talked about later down the line.
Wrong yo. What you should ask yourself is why the owners are willing to pay.
The Mets are at $266 million in CBT payroll as of today. Not sure what the CBT will be in the new CBA, but I doubt its over $250 million.. It was $210 in 2021.
I agree with you, but on one end San Diego does a great job for families and the military and get excellent attendance, then on the other end of the spectrum you have Oakland, crime is so high in that city people are afraid to bring their families to the games. ( security is very good at the coliseum, it’s going and leaving that’s scary.)
The owners are far more greedy than players or agents. That’s a fact.
Ain’t that the truth!
Let me ask you this, if you were sherzer, you would not accept the best deal?
You’re telling me, you would take less money to go else where???
Google “Inspired Giving”
Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation
@Weasel: Actually that’s the very definition of an opinion. And it’s backed up by nothing whatsoever.
Been to games in Oakland maybe 40 times over the years. Never had an issue with crime. The issue with the A’s is ownership/ballpark. Just not the best place to watch a game and weak tv contracts = smaller payrolls. In the 80’s they A’s lead baseball in Attendance and had high payrolls.
If you think owners are going to lower prices, you’re naive. Let’s look at one example. The Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2021 the Pirates total payroll was $54 million(and over a 3rd of this was retained salaries, their 26 man payroll was a whopping $16 million.) The average ticket price for a Pirates game? $47. The 2001 Pirates had a payroll of over $57 million, or $89 million today, meanwhile their tickets average price was $19, or about $30 today. So despite being cheaper in 2021 than in 2001, their ticket prices are still nearly 2.5 times as high.
Good for baseball? (Let’s forget about Bauer) why is $43 million a year to a 37 year old that good for baseball?
Why is it not?
Capitalism baby, capitalism.
He is, arguably, the best pitcher in the game.
Seriously, look at his record.
He bloomed late, sure, but if DeGrom doesn’t recover fully, Scherzer is UNQUESTIONABLY the best pitcher of his generation.
Bauer got 43 million a season last year. Why did you think Max would get less? This is what free agents cost. If your team isn’t spending blame your owner not your players. The owner can afford it. Trust me.
Nah, Kershaw is. Whatevs. Braves still beat him.
It’s not an opt out, it’s a player option for Bauer. Regardless I do think that the first 2 years of that deal were a big part of Max’s negotiation since the option was just a tactic to lower the AAV with little expectation it would ever be exercised.
As a union rep it probably played well for Max that the Mets were willing to go to 3 years without tacking on an extra year to lower the AAV.
I wonder if the way the Dodgers handled Max Scherzer and the rest of their pitching staff in the playoffs had anything to do with him leaving. I don’t think he liked getting dead arm after coming out of the bullpen. He strikes me as a guy that prefers to strictly be a starter and probably thinks the way the Dodgers used him hurt their chances to win.
For what it’s worth I still consider Bauer to have the highest guaranteed AAV. His contract was only player options so next season is really a 1-year deal at an AAV of $45 million. He probably won’t make all of it because of a suspension but that would be true for any player and has nothing to do with the contract. Bauer himself considers his contract 3 1-year deals because he can walk away fr any of them. $45M for one year is a higher AAV than $43 million a year.
I will say the opt out Sherzer has is one opt out the player will never take. I can’t imagine a 39 year old opting out of a contract the pays him over $43.3M a year. He would probably have to win the 2023 Cy Young at 39 years old to even consider it. Even then I would find it unlikely.
The problem with your logic is that MLB doesn’t calculate AAV the way you suggest. If it is an option in the contract it is a multi-year contract not stand-alone 1-year deals.
S&M isn’t something MLB is OK with. Bauer’s f*cked.
The details of Bauer aren’t “man and woman fight” level stuff, the details aren’t on the level of MLB marketing, even if some might see them as mutual, MLB can’t be seen as supporting it.
Bauer’s never going to play again, I expect.
Doug_Bond
S&M isn’t something MLB is OK with.
===================================
They might have to be. At some point, they’ve celebrated (I don’t know the correct order of the letters) GLBT and a bunch of other orientations. Which is all well and good.
But if MLB says anything negative about S&M, there will be a group that protests, and they will have to relent, or explain why the other 25 protected groups are okay, and S&M folks are not. And after MLB apologizes, and has a BDSM Family Day, then LAD can make their final payment to Bauer.
Without Bauer getting charged, MLB has no shot at canceling his contract.
This is not about S&M. Its about battery. The percentage of people that parrticipate in sex that includes that level of violence is so small, less than 1/10 of 1% of the population compared to 5.6% of the population publicly saying they are LGBT, that baseball doesn’t care about them protesting. They simply don’t buy enough tickets to matter.
MLB can certainly suspend Bauer and likely will. Most executives in the industry are predicting a 2 year suspension after which his career will be over because no one will sign him.
Regardless of whether the sex is consensual or not, a person cannot consent to being punched to the point of a concussion and choked to the point that they are unconscious.
Baseball is a sport that is all about the marketing and baseball cannot market Bauer. Can you imagine the questions he will get that he would be REQUIRED to answer from the press? Not only Bauer, but every person on his team would face those same questions.
No, regardless of the legal outcome, Bauer’s career is over.
BTW, not only can MLB suspend Bauer without any charges being filed , as they have done in multiple cases of domestic violence, they can make it retroactive so that he has to pay back all that money he has received while under administrative leave in 2021.
Joe Brady……………………………………..
LGBTQ relates to a persons sexual orientation, S&M is a sexual fetish. A big difference, are you truly this clueless about modern society?
Seriously take the time to do a little research before putting your ignorance on display.
This has Gotta be one of the dumbest things I have ever read. Do you even know what S&M stands for, or it’s meaning? It doesn’t mean straight and manly, it means Sadomasochism, pain for pleasure. It has nothing to do with your sexual orientation. Geez, learn something before commenting on it.
That’s funny that you mention because the Dodgers should have saved that to retain a guy like Max for example or even a young player like Trea Turner. Now, they owe Bauer huge money, they likely loss K
Sorry, but press enter to soon accidentally. Anyhow !
They lost Max, likely lost Kershaw, Taylor and Seager as well, and they’re tied up with Bauer on that huge contract. They have become the old Yankees. Spending from the sake of spending when guys like Buehler, Urias, Smith and Bellinger aren’t even locked up…. Yankees did learned their lesson with Texeira and A-Rod’s contracts though !
Nonsense!
Still waiting to see if Dodgers are able to get out of some of that deal .. gonna be interesting..
When you compute MaxHole’s “ordinary dollars per-game earned” in this deal. …. You will throw up in your mouth.
Baseball money is ridiculous . . . But we fans pay!
Imagine Bauer’s dollars per game when it turns out he got paid over $100M to pitch half a season. He pitched in 17 games and his contract will ultimately be for $102M. That’s $6M for every start Bauer makes. Far more than a lot of players make over their entire careers.
Shiver me timbers. Ahahahaha!
Way too expensive for his worn out arm.
Now free agents want to play for Uncle Steve
Well, they want to get paid by Uncle Steve.
If you have to spend over the luxury tax just to make the playoffs it’s a absolutely failure. Window is already probably closed. Hopefully the new cba keeps the penalties in place so the Mets can spend the most and still not make the playoffs.
Worked for the Yankees for a very long time. Most winningest team in sports thanks to George’s money.
Yankees won because of their young core
Their young core that they extended for big money and supplemented with the best free agents on the market year after year.
That same core doesn’t accomplish nearly as much in any other organization. Credit to the Yanks for spending to win, not everyone does. But don’t discount how much it helped them.
The only team to ever win a WS after signing a series of high-priced free agents was the 2009 Yankees. Every other team that has tried to do this has failed. 2022 favors the field, not the Mets.
Tickets prices go up because owners are not going to take less. I’m in the Miami area and the Marlins, who always has seats available. Maybe 1/3 of the stadium full on regular basis, still 2 people over $120. I grew up on Jerome Ave, walking distance to Yankee Stadium and me & my friends would be able to get in for less than $15 each. If a person cannot live on $10 mill a year then they need a better agent or financial advisor.
That they didn’t was always a lazy and false narrative
Andy Martino
@martinonyc
Source: Mets in agreement with Scherzer. Done deal
The more Max gets, the more Boras gets.
Gonna be the worst deal in baseball after year 1
thank you, Nostradamus…and since you’re predicting, how will the stock market do next year?
Heyman’s source is literally Scott Boras himself, so if he says it’s happening, it’s happening.
Wow. Mets payroll looks like it will be the highest in all of MLB next year.
If you’ve got the money to spend, spend it. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. The owner is a fan of the team, which all owners should be….and not just bc they own the team.
Hopefully they keep the same harsh penalties from this cba. So when the Mets cripple themselves with spending they have to spend more and more and still not make the playoffs, so the buffoons can finally figure out spending doesn’t equal winning. And running a team like a fan will be a disaster.
That’s why I wish people like you were able to invest all your money into a sports franchise. So you guys could spend all your money and never win, then you’ll all have to get another job and won’t have any time to ever post anything. It would be hilarious.
@iverbure Short-term strategy for Mets while they rebuild farm system for 2-3 years. Plus this is NYC and investment in players equates to more publicity, season ticket sales, and demand for advertising spots = revenue. Cohen has money to burn to help the franchise stabilize from the 25-man roster to the developmental league rosters.
Pains me to type it, but the Mets are much likelier to win a title in the near future than the Yankees are. Maybe that’s a good thing for Yankees fans. You’d think it’d light a fire under Hal to get off his thumb or, better yet, to sell the team.
If Cohen is willing to drop 43m/yr on a 37 year old starter, he’s also going to be willing to pay to get other significant pieces.
Cohen seems like he’s willing to do what George Steinbrenner used to do: whatever it takes. Good news for Mets fans, bad news for everyone else!
What’s the harm? Go for broke while DeGrom has something left to give. Going through free agency allows them to rebuild their farm system while they compete (hopefully they don’t forfeit one of their two top 15 picks this year). If they have to lower payroll to reset the tax penalties, they will have Cano, DeGrom, Scherzer, Cahna, and McCann coming off the books within 3 years or less. They can invest in guys like Peterson, Baty, Mauricio too offset some costs for guys on the upper tier of payroll like Lindor, Alonso, (hopefully) Stroman, Marte, and Nimmo. And hopefully have a couple more young guys through the draft/Rule 5 to add to the team or use in a trade for young, controllable players.
They’re leaving themselves with plenty of room to work with.
lol…you must be a lot of fun at parties…
Heck, they’re also even more likely to get there in the near future than the Yankees.
Good. Wealthiest owner should have the highest payroll.
Rogers corp is the wealthiest
Guggenheim (Dodgers owners) have something like 300 billion AUM. So, they are the richest. In terms of individual solo owners (not corporations) Cohen is the richest in baseball. But I think Ballmer is the richest solo owner in North American sports.
Hmmm. Ted Rogers owner of Blue Jays might argue that lol.
Ted is long dead and buried…
Ted Rogers died 13 years ago.
damhikt
pretty sure he won’t argue this one lol.
When Rogers is looking to sell part of the blue jays to pay down company debt, I’d have to question that…lol.
no payroll should be limited.
Its not going to end well because they are also going to be the oldest team in baseball. They have now signed 4 players that are 33 or older to a quarter billion worth of multi-year deals. Add Cano on top of that.
his arm will blow out after 23.2 innings, I am afraid to say.
Get your bad juju out of here homie
The talent reasons are obvious but the Mets badly needed a good pitcher with Scherzer’s durability. Mets staff is made of glass as currently constructed.
Scherzer is old and made of glass. It will be a bad contract for Mets.
He’s not made of glass. He’s been consistently healthy for most of his career. This is a very low IQ comment
I’m shocked, shocked! A low IQ comment on MLBTR?
He was also younger for most of his career. Cracks in the armor started to show when Dave Roberts guinea pigged him in the postseason.
Made of glass? The only knock on Scherzer in his prime was that he doesn’t go deep in games. Maybe he was ahead of his time. No one should question his durability. Why even comment? I’m sure you have a bevy of dumb opinions partially based on facts. Pick another topic.
If you’re afraid to say, why did you say it? Unless you’re a liar and happy to say it which also makes you an ass.
@oldmansteve – because everyone is entitled to an opinion
Nah it’ll be at 43 1/3 innings.
Had it been the Angels it would be the second start of Spring Training.
You guys take this crap way too seriously
I am scared to see what Metsfan22 is going to say to try to belittle us
Wowzers. Congrats Mets fans. You’ve finally completed your life-long dream: you are out spending the Yankees. Should be a fun ride. Cohen is a mad man.
That’s only part of the dream, until we actually win a World Series people won’t take us seriously. But it’s a great day to be a Mets fan.
@alc47 I don’t think a World Series should ever be the only metric to consider. It’s hard to win one of those. You just need to build a perennial contender. Are the Mets that? I’m not so sure, but you can’t blame them for trying. Congrats Mets fans. You got to love the NLE. Sure they underperform, but they spend to get better every year.
Even if they won a World Series I will refuse to take the Mets seriously.
I never took you seriously.
do you actually think people GAF about what you think??…hahahahaha!
Thanks Von… huge risk bc of age of course, but when degrom and max are healthy (granted, it might only be for a few months), they’ll be very hard to beat.. it’s fun to make fun of the Mets, but they had guys have massive down years last year… if Lindor and McNeil revert back to their norms, and someone like marte chips in w Canha and Escobar being roughly above league average, this team can be very dangerous.. health as usual is the concern
for now… once the Yankees sign Correa and Robbie Ray and extend Judge they’ll be at the top again.
@28rings I still think the Mets will have the highest payroll in baseball.
There is a 0% chance they do all three of those things
28Rings, Ray is finalizing a deal with Seattle.
Now it’s time for Baez and Rodon then trading for relievers. Boom shakalaka
lolololol
Lol not a Báez fan but I love the energy, and I do think a signing like rodon might be coming
I don’t get fans obsession with Baez. Not a very good hitter and we’d be paying him SS money to play second base.
28Rings, Ray is finalizing a deal with Seattle.
How many times do we get a variation of this headline?
Lordd99: How many times did we get the variation of the Franco signs extension headline – I think it was four or five. This will probably match that.
Mets are….insane! But they got their man.
Glad he’s in the nl
Good for Max but wow is that a lot of coin. I’d much rather have 3 guys for 14 ish a year. All that stock in one arm is scary.
Yup. That’s the giants strategy.
It’s a lot of money, yes, but Scherzer is an iron-clad HOF’er who has demonstrated a lot of durability and staying power. I’d pay him this huge AAV long before offering Verlander half of it, say.
Scherzer been the most reliable pitcher in the MLB. I am sure he will be a tank for the next 3 years. What a great week for the Mets.
His durability took a hit this past postseason. Hopefully for him that doesn’t repeat, otherwise he’ll need to skip a turn in the rotation every now and then, or be put on an innings limit to be capable of pitching all the way through to the end of the postseason.
The drunken sailor Cohen open his wallet.
He’s all about raising the bar.
I hate it here.
LOL.
uncle Stevey we love you
He’s a guy that will make sure he holds up his end of the bargain for three years. Incredible competitor. Keep him away from the AL East thank you very much!
Unfortunately, his tank is about empty, ton of mileage on that arm. Now that he is a Met, sure to get injured.
Lots of mileage, to be sure. It’s a big gamble that IMO either pays off or busts entirely
Lol at it either works or it doesn’t. Sage wisdom.
Scherzer doesn’t rely solely on power anymore, he’s a complete pitcher. Even if he stops being among the league leaders in strike outs, he will be a TOR pitcher for the next 3 years. I doubt injuries will be an issue for him, specially after what he went through with the Dodgers.
Degrom needs to fire his agent
The Mets already fired his agent, lol.
True that, but he has an opt-out so he’ll be coming to Uncle Steve for a raise soon.
Great. Yankees, not Mets fan, but Scherzer is great to watch pitch, so I can see him more often.
Still a 3rd place finish
That’s definitely a possibility in this division, but I don’t think they’re done spending. They’ll go north of 300, forcing the CBA to come up with some kind of salary cap.
That will never happen.
They’re currently around 270+ with some more signings in the works.
$266 million, but point well taken. Mets cannot be done spending if they intend to win. The team is incomplete.
Other owners that have been trying to cry poor are ticked off at Cohen right now.
Maybe not third place but I am wondering if they are better than the Braves.
Depends on whether the Braves keep Freeman and Soroka can return.
If the Braves really let freeman go that’s a big mistake
They will be on paper regardless of what happens. If the Braves are forced to trade for a first baseman because they can’t afford Freeman, that will make the Mets look that much better.
Name the two NL East teams that will finish ahead of them in your estimation. I’ll give you Atlanta as a legitimate choice but who else? Philadelphia? Washington? Miami? Seriously?
Don’t sleep on Miami. They’re 2 hitters away from contending.
An expansion team in NC
Yeah Miami should start worrying NL East fans. That rotation is nasty.
Miami only makes it to wild card games. Never won the division but has 2 WS titles. Fun game this baseball ⚾️
Anyone that goes to sleep on Miami is stupid.
Hes the best pitcher on the planet. I hope he can stay healthy but to me the potential downside risk is huge. Mets looking like the 09 Yankees?
We’ll he’s not the best pitcher on the planet that’s his new teammate but he might be the second best lol
NEVER MAKE STEVE COHEN MAD.
Just to finish 81-81
Maybe, but you got to try to improve. It’s exciting.
So… great for the Mets, great for Scherzer. As a Mets fan however it makes me a bit apprehensive with what they plan to do with DeGrom. His deal was good at the time but now on an annual basis pales in comparison. Sure he was hurt last year but his stuff Vivaldi Scherzer’s every year. Plus he’s got an opt out clause. Very curious how this plays out…. And nervous.
Rivals not Vivaldi…blasted auto correct
I was about to go down the rabbit hole to find out both what Vivaldi was and how it correlated to your remarks because it sounded fancy af and I wanted to use it in the future.
When Vivaldi enters a baseball chat board, you’ve really raised the bar
You should still venture down the Vivaldi rabbit hole.
Vivaldi Scherzer was my nickname in college
Ah the Vivaldi rabbit hole…fun for all Four Seasons!
if your autocorrect is that baroque, you better fix it
that was one of the greatest autocorrects I’ve ever read!!!!
Vivaldi (verb) – to outpitch a rival, more broadly, to excel in one’s art, synonym, to Michaelangelo
Finally, someone spending like the Dodgers so everyone can realize how stupid they sounded crying about the Dodgers payroll. LET THE RICH PEOPLE SPEND!
If you’re rich enough to buy an MLB and then cry foul at spending more (looking at you St. Louis), you’re a problem for the sport. The players should get the most money, not the owners.
LMAO! Well we know you won’t ever own a business.
Who are you talking to, dipsmith?
@alphabet poster: I really have no love for the owners OR the players in this regard. Let them fight over money all they want. Picking which wealthy side to support just seems silly. As a principle, though, I think you take it to far.
I’m on the fans side and I am happy for Mets fans. They’ve endured a lot as MetsFanatic pointed out. They’ve had to sit through one of MLB’s worst ownership groups in the history of baseball and watch them drag their team through the mud. This has been coming their way for a long time.
Thank you for this. I don’t have the foggiest idea of why a fan would side on one side or another. Scherzer is making north of a quarter-billion dollars in his career. He isn’t hanging out at the local pub any more than Cohen is.
I agree. We’ve waited 60 years for this kind of opportunity.. since our inception. That’s a reeeeeeaaaallly long time when you consider everything this fan base has suffered through. And holy crap, have we suffered! Screw the team — WE, the fans deserve this.
This is good in the sense that it gets him out of the NL west, but I have a feeling now that LAD isn’t going to be paying $40M+ a year for him, they’re going to have plenty of money to throw around on other signings.
I can’t wait for him to resign with the dodgers and then see Cohens reaction
Remember he was traded to San Diego.
This seems eerily like when Friedman snuck in at the last minute to take Sherzer away from the Madres.
Yes that was just months ago so fresh on our memories. But not quite the same, Friedman jettisoned LA’s best prospects to gain a dead arm in the playoffs, whereas the Mets are committing only $.
Kind of sad to see Scherzer won his one World Series and is now just looking for that retirement money. He could’ve been an awesome hired gun for a team with a chance at the postseason.
Obviously they have a chance at the playoffs you moron. They’ll probably be division favorites
Lol
@rols1026 I don’t see how 1 pitcher makes them division favorites. They finished under .500 last year. They added a lot of pieces this offseason to improve, but the Braves are still the better team until proven otherwise. Marlins improved too. Phillies will likely make a signing or two. Division is brutal. Mets 3-5 pitchers are not very strong, despite having one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball. I think the Mets are much better on paper, don’t get me wrong. But people need to stop disrespecting the Braves.
Where did I say 1 pitcher makes them favorites? I’m pretty sure they’ve made other moves too? Lol
@rols1026 Yeah. Those moves improved them, but they also lost some pieces. To be quite honest, I don’t think Cohen is done. They spent so much money already. They can’t stop now.
I disrespect the Braves
Pretty moronic statement by JD. A rotation headlined by Scherzer and Degrom certainly has a chance.
That Braves team that just won the WS isn’t any better on paper than this Mets team.
People act like Acuña isn’t coming back. He didn’t even play in the postseason and Atlanta won a title. It’s difficult to win the World Series but the Braves are surely one of the favorites to do so (top five).
There’s no one on earth that wants to face a healthy Scherzer/Degrom in a four game series. Period.
@2001morecowbell2001 Got to make the playoffs first.
I know what I said and stand by that statement
“healthy” is the absolute wild card here
DeGrom and Scherzer both have long histories of good health. Last year deGrom seemed to be pushing harder as he was even throwing 100 as late as the 7th inning. And yes they’re both getting up there in age, but as far as health and talent goes, for now I give them the benefit of the doubt. I mean hell, “healthy” is the key word for every baseball player and team. If they feel 100% in April then they are just as risky as any other pitcher.
Pretty sure Bauer has the AAV record not Cole…. Not sure what this article is talking about
who?
and the WOKE MLB is smiling. While in other sports, accused rapists and women beaters are still playing.
Bauer has an option that lowers his aav. Most for a season, lower aav.
utterly amazing. yet the Phillies are sitting at home doing nothing b/c we don’t need to overpay for players with a farm system deep and talented as the Phillies….. wait a minute…. nevermind! I was still thinking it was 2007-2011☹️☹️
@bumpy93 It’s early, and the Phillies don’t really need SP. Patience my friend.
The Phillies might have parts to fill out a rotation,but other than Wheeler,none of those parts are locks to be consistent contributors.Ya hope for Nola to return to top of the rotation form,ya hope Suarez can carry over his 2021 success,and ya hope Gibson and Eflin can give ya quality inning eaters.Beyond that ya hope 1 or 2 prospects can fill in when necessary.And through all that hope,there’s bound to be some let down.
We might have bigger needs,but top of the rotation arms are always needed.And every move the Mets made the last few days would’ve filled a need for the Phillies.
I’m not mad that the Phillies didn’t sign a 37 year-old pitcher to a 43MM per year contract. They don’t need pitching as bad as the Mets did. I’m very happy with Wheeler and Nola. deGrom Scherzer are definitely better, but by how much? They both only contribute once every 5 or 6 games. Phillies need to splurge on OF help and if possible a SS. Plenty of those left.
I’m not really mad about not getting Scherzer,but to watch him go to the Mets after they signed Marte,that’s salt on a open wound.
And watching the Mets blow past the luxury tax is also concerning,considering Middleton has said he’d be willing to pay it more times than he actually has.
And while Wheeler has entered the conversation,Nola has a lot to prove to get into any Degrom/Scherzer matchup conversation.
Get that money madmax
I’m all for this if it means we don’t have to hear Stevie whine for a bit.
All that for dead arm max, no thanks
Randy Johnson to Yankees 2.0
Happy about the Mets signing Max but as a Mets fan, I can’t help but think to myself “Where was this spending last year when there was a much deeper pool of free agents.” I do hope Baez and Bryant are still on Uncle Steve’s radar but I have a hard time believing they will sign either of them.
They should have kept Stroman. He’s alot younger and has proved he can pitch in NY
Stroman has proven himself to be a bit of a jerk so maybe…who am I kidding. That won’t stop the Mets.
If this goes through, congrats to Max and the Mets. Although it would still make me sick, at least we Nats fans got to enjoy him at this prime for many years, through 2 Cy Youngs, 2 no hitters and a WS win.
Wow Mets starting the day off big today ! Really good money for scherzer. Mets get one of the most consistent starters in baseball . I almost bet that there is a opt out in the contract at some point . I would be surprised if there was no opt out . Scherzer got the security he wanted with the extra third year . I believe that the third year that was offered to him helped push him more towards the Mets . Along with the big AAv per season . Tough time for dogers fans . I suspect seager to be next on the move .
I was hoping to see him in Dodger Blue for a little longer but wish him all the best if he moves on. Good luck future HoFer!
I’m all for anything that hurts the Dodgers. Hopefully Seager & Kershaw sign elsewhere too.
Highly doubt not spending 43 mil a year on a 37 year old who ended the season hurt, actually hurts the Dodgers.
Agreed, the odds of seager and Kershaw going else where is definitely a real possibility now more than ever . Don’t be surprised to see possibly kershaw and seager going to the same place . That same place being the Texas rangers .
@yams ROFL at the Dodgers living rent free in your tiny little headspace!
$43.3M/yr….That’s just crazy money. Way to go Max, but know these owners need to protect themselves from themselves which is why the CBA negotiations are necessary
I feel like I read this exact same article last year about Bauer right before he signed with the Dodgers lol, Mets are going to be paranoid about this signing until the ink is dry.
I would definitely get a chuckle out of it if it happened again.
This is the Mets contract that the Mets have ever Mets’d.
^most
Bobby Bonilla says hi.
Another genius chiming in about Bonilla proving they understand nothing about business. Deferred money is a smart business strategy. Bringing up Bonilla only shows your lack of understanding.
You’re assuming the Mets won’t restructure Max’s last year of the deal to pay out over fourty years.
@Cosmo2 they could revive a 27-year old Willie Mays and this comment section would still “duuhrrr Mets r suk! Nobudy wanna play 4 coohen”
You seem fun.
Also I don’t think I (or anyone else) in this particular thread said the Bonilla OR Scherzer contracts were bad. Just that they were very…. Metsy.
Don’t agree?
I challenge you to show me a Metsier one!!
Eh didn’t mean you in particular
And as for Metsier contracts, James McCann, Jason Bay, and K-Rod really stand out for me.
All good. Was replying to Cosmos comment about me understanding nothing about business because of my joke.
Anonymous comment boards are always so friendly!
Well.. I honestly wasn’t expecting this to happen. I hope it pans out for them. I guess we’ll see. We still need Stroman and a mid-to-backend starter, and 2 bullpen guys. Oh yeah… And a coaching staff, lol
Doesn’t sound like Stroman is coming back, but stranger things have happened. Maybe Ray? 3 CY Youngs in the same rotation would be insane.
If that happened my head might explode.
I was hoping the Angels would go full 180 and sign Scherzer, Verlander, Kershaw, Greinke and Kluber to one year deals. 10 Cy’s in that rotation I think?
Super team it NBA style.
Wow… Hope I can afford to go to a game next year
Dude got PAID
Obscene money. Just goes to show how much money these owners are making. Yet, there’s going to be a lockout? Come on. Would be nice if the fans didn’t carry the cost-burden at concession stands, parking, tickets, merchandise, etc.
The fans do no not carry that burden because the owners sign these players to deals like this. The market determines what those prices will be.
The Rays can’t sign Max Scherzer and decide to charge $100 for a ticket. Market determines price.
They can raise prices to whatever they can get away with and the more they spend the more they’re likely to charge. That IS the market speaking.
They’ll still only compete for a wild card spot.. they signed 3 (decent hitters) who aren’t that young and a 37 year old pitcher who you have to hope doesn’t I hurt himself and still throws the way he has in previous season
LolMets amirite?
No.
and MLB/MLBPA continue to go on like parity exists…
Are you really going to use the Mets as an example as to why parity doesn’t exist lol
MLB has the most parity, including leagues that have a hard salary cap on the player or team.
That’s a big pill to swallow. These large contacts come with large expectations. I understand why pictures get big contracts because they are putting a lot on the line. But it’s not like he is going to be pitching every day. you have to have a good offense to back him up. I would rather spend the money on two or three position players. I wish him the best. At times he was really good with the Dodgers but it’s time for him to Move on.
If he’ll continue to be the same pitcher the Mets got a great sign. I really hope they’re not that unlucky where he stops being as great cause the Mets got him.
Still not going anywhere Cohen and Aldersonb’s will still ruin this team from within.
Well if BOB said it then…
I’ve heard this several times. Some people have more money than brains.
Max and DeGrom is legit. Really like the Marte addition too. Not too excited about Escobar and Canha however. Wonder if the Mets will make a play for Bryant next. Cohen seems willing to plug holes with $$$
Mets will still suck, will be surprised if they even get a wild card in 2022. How many start for Degrom and Scherzer, Degron has not pitched many innings in 3 years you can’t expect him to go 200 innings. Time will tell
Before last season degrom pitches the most innings in MLB from 2017-20… sure I’m concerned about his health now, but he was a horse before that
Sign Bryant-Seager-Baez-Stroman-Ray and trade McNeil-Alvarez-Baty and Peterson for Brandon Woodruff. Sign a couple of bullpen arms and a nice bench bat and go win a WS with your $430MM payroll.
Probably two opt outs in it
Maybe a mid season opt out in case the Mets $275M payroll isn’t contending. Which is still quite likely.
I joke… but with Cohen dropping cash like this you never know
This is unbelievable! I don’t want to hear any arguments out of the owners on anything on the new CBA talks! Obviously the owners now need to look in the mirror and ask themselves, are we the ones causing most of our own problems.
Verlander now looks like a bargain….
Coming off TJS in late 30s? We’ll see
Desperation insanity.
As an official Boras Corp employee, Heyman is in the know.
Question now is what is the limit Cohen is willing to go to on salary
Right now it’s about 275. Is he willing to go to 320 or so
Well he already got his ring so he might as well take the $. Enjoy that circus, my man.
This signing proves nothing in regards to a competitive stance in the NL East. What a waste of $$ !!! They could have signed 4 modest type starting pitchers for that money and filled out their rotation. Now they will have 2 big SP contracts on the DL in no time. Continue to Sink and Burn NY Mess.!! There is no way someone with half a brain will want to manage this embarrassing train wreck of an organization.
The taste of bitter LOL
Mad Max defied odds once by beating Father Time on his last contract, I’m not so sure if that can happen again though. There’s no doubt that Cohen is putting his money where his mouth is. The only problem is he has signed most of the older free agents. Maybe if/when the DH is inserted for the NL, that will put Nelson Cruz on his wish list.
If they can add Scherzer and resign Stroman the Mets should be able to give the Braves a run. This assume DeGromm comes back healthy.
As Harper once said.. lol. Where’s my ring?
you know you’d love to have Harper…
Harper would be the best hitter on the Mets.
Harper would be the best hitter on all but a few teams. Sick burn though.
@MetsFan22
How’d that “Where’s my ring?” comment work out for Harper?
Of course all of us in the NL East are accustomed to the Mets getting the offseason hype until they fail in the regular season.
Next, you will be hiring the manager he will be the savior until June 1st when you all call for his head.
LOL
Looks like the Mets are trying to buy a championship just like the Padres. How’d that work out? Organization is in a sad state of affairs when only 20% of your roster came up thru your system, everyone else traded for or bought. Sorry Mets fan, you’re still gonna underachieve, your team is dysfunctional.
YANKEES buy championships… METS buy second place finishes
I’m a Yankees fan as well. Why be petty? Mets are taking a huge financial risk here. I hope it works out for them. Jealousy is not a good look.
Some of their best players are homegrown… degrom Alonso nimmo McNeil… I hated the Lindor signing but hope it works out better than last year.. mad they’re letting conforto go and Syndergaard left (and wheeler a couple of years ago) and I’m sure Dom gets traded, but they’re just adding FA now to try and win during degroms window, nothing wrong w that
U forgot Happy Bobby Bonilla Day too.
Let’s revisit these comments in September when he has dead arm…
Could literally say that about any pitcher contract ever before they throw a pitch.
…but since he wasn’t able to pitch THIS year because of dead arm adds a little legitimacy to my comment, no?
One game missed doesn’t erase an amazing year. Seriously dude.
yeah, dont get this. Scherzer has deas arm occasionally and still is a Cy Young finalist every year. dude’s a beast.
Literally no other contract is $43LARGE, so no, it isnt the same
Mets fans in 2020: Yankees always just buy their team
Mets fans now: Spending money is a wise way to add talent
MLB fans in 2020: I hate the Dodgers and Yankees
MLB fans now: I hate the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets LOL
HATE HATE HATE
I hated the Mets before now, so your comment is inaccurate. When Glavine put on that hideous uniform it pretty much started my hatred for them. Cohen is just gasoline on the flames.
if nothing else NL East fans and Yankees fans are glad to welcome everyone else to hating the Mets.
@ Appalachian I’m good with you accepting your a hater. Wish people knew the actual perception of a hater.
Any thoughts about what the next CBA might bring with the usually reserve Boras rushing his Clients to sign before December 1st?
Max contract size like the NBA. 🙂
Boras adapts his strategy based on the market. This is a unique year. He’ll adapt again once there’s a new CBA.
i mean, with the money that Scherzer got it’s hard to pass up. seems like everyone else has bowed out of the bidding.
I think the smaller market teams are jumping the market knowing that revenue sharing is going to go up substantially.
I’m a Yankees fan and respect the Mets for rolling the dice. I hope it works out for them. Shertzer is an amazing pitcher but time will tell if this contract is an albatross. But to the victor goes the spoils and meanwhile the Yankees are thinking Simmons is their answer at shortstop. Congrats Mets fans.
Darryl Rose: I agree 100%. To the victor goes
the spoils. Here’s to you Mets & Braves organizations AND fans. The Mets look like they (probably) “won” the 2021 off season’s beat the countdown to the lockout marathon. Even so, I for one am still celebrating the Atlanta Braves 162 game 2021 MLB (actual) Regular & postseason marathon.
Scherzer is an absolute stud, workhorse, and warrior, but guys his age can lose it really quick. I hope he can excel over the next 3 years but I’m skeptical.
Good take… but I’m not even sure it can be an albatross.. opt out after two years… and let’s be real, a lot of the payroll will come off the books after the next two seasons… cano, Canha, Escobar, Walker, Carrasco… probably Max… maybe even degrom if they don’t extend him… it’s not really that big a financial risk to a rich owner with a fairly clean payroll after 2023
Why would he opt out? He’s not getting $43mm from a team in two years. This was undoubtedly the only team offering it now.
But again, it won’t matter… even in 2024 they’ll have about 135M committed in salary, which isn’t much for large market teams that actually spend.. and by 2025 it’s pretty much just Lindor, so no, it’s really not much of an albatross with an owner willing to spend
soon Boras will be sending Captain Kirk into space just because he can
Hundreds of million People are homeless hungry sick broke and full of despair yet as a society we pay game players this kind of money.
Yes. yes, we do. Why? Because they allow us to enjoy ourselves and escape the broken despondency of society.
I am good with that, as I see no alternative.
Cant fix stupid,
Cant fix society.
Use your resources to help others.
Cohen on tilt.
I wonder if Steven Matz gets a commission on this contract?
Report when “are finalizing” has changed to “have finalized and are in agreement “ and that’s when I will be happy.
Happy now?
Awesomeness
Scott Boras remains the king.
Obviously Max is a hired gun. Maybe it works out for the Mets. They better pray that both max and Detroit get healthy since both of them ended the year with bad arms. They still need offense and their d got a lot worse with their Friday signings.
Still an excellent pitcher, not bad money for a six inning pitcher
DONE DEAL BABY LGM !!!
Cohen put his money where his mouth is. Good for the Mets and MadMax.
If the numbers being reported are accurate, this is evidence of a new Mets Tax, which is the amount by which the Mets have to overpay to get elite talent to join their three-ring circus.
Mets trying to be aggressive before the backend of Lindor’s contract hits.
ONLY TO BITE HIS BEHIND!
Good for Max for getting every cent he could, but kinda feel for the guy, I mean, it’s the Mets.
It’s finalized and a “done deal”… very anticlimactic. Wish the big sherz didn’t drag this out for a day. Well that’s all folks !
Could they have signed stroman and rodon for similar amount of AAV?
Possibly – but Rodon is injured.
Wouldn’t go near him for more than 10
Here we go with the intelligent commits !!!!!
Mets need a solid third starter now, Sign Baez and bullpen help . Now spending all that money on Scherzer….. gives us not much to spend. Trading , McNeil , Davis and Smith has to go into the equation
That depends what Cohen wants to spend. If his hedge fund is his moneymaker he can make this his flashy toy.
If you truly do not care about losing money—he can spend whatever the hell he wants on the roster. Maybe he gets up to 300MM.
Cohen’s willing to pay this much because he believes it’s a worthwhile investment. he isnt going to take a loss on this team simply because he can.
I’m not suggesting Cohen wants to take “a loss because he can”
You can take a loss because winning championships gives you more satisfaction than additional revenue. He makes a ton of money operating a hedge fund. Making money may not be his goal for a baseball team
Baez isn’t needed with Escobar
Mets spending like the Old Yankees. Im all for it. Spend Stevie, spend!
JEEZ, ok who’s next the Mets need a lefty SP maybe Rodon or trade for Means ?
Who were the Mets bidding against that would have even paid $38 million a season?
Another owner getting in over his head.
While I’m sad to see Max go, I’m glad to see the Dodgers not cave to Broas’s obscene demands. This frees us to re-up Seager and/or Taylor and, hopefully sign another arm or two.
Insane contract, dude is old. What could go wrong.
That’s a lot of salary that players’ rep Max Scherzer would need to be willing to forgo, if the MLBPA were to threaten a strike.
Oh PULEEEZ!! Another Super Star (albeit older and only gonna get older) is Go On Take the Money and Run
No CHANCE the Mets get a ring next three years. Guaranteed!
I’m old enough to remember when the Padres “won” last offseason, but I mean what could possibly go wrong for the Mets, am I right?
MASSIVE OVERPAY!
Not your money!!
Metsfan22 be like, “ that’s strange! I don’t recall pouring a gallon of milk down the front of my pants!”
Best comment so far xD
It’s funny how so many “fans” like to say the Dodgers are trying to buy a championship when in reality their team is home grown or players acquired through trades. The only real free agent money they spent was for Bauer and some of the pen arms. The Mets more closely fit the bill of buying their way in.
Homegrown? Trading for high-priced stars (Scherzer, Turner, Betts, etc…) in exchange for prospects and $ is a game only the wealthy teams play, it’s not really that different than the FA market and I’m not sure why the distinction necessarily needs to be made.
Seager, Smith, Taylor, J Turner, Bellinger, Muncy, Urias, Kershaw, Buehler, May, Jansen. All homegrown or off the scrap heap. That’s six of eight fielders, and four of the starting rotation and the closer.
Try hating with a brain next time
Mookie Betts rings a bell?
@Lemonade Mookie was a trade, not a free agent
Most winning teams are a combo of homegrown and FA/trades… dodgers and Mets are no different
$43 mill yr to still not win division.. Mets gonna Met.. padres of the East
Yes, you are indeed a fathead — with the erudition of a caveman.
auctioning off my Philly sports fandom. bidding starts at whatever you’re willing to offer.
@DarkSide830 Haha. Don’t stress yet. Phillies still have time for some smart moves. We can still fight the Mets for second place.
This is pure desperation. No other team was willing to give a third year. Will it work out? That remains to be seen. I still put the Braves as the NL East favorite and the Dodgers as the NL
favorite to return to the World Series.
Still waiting to see who the Dodgers have on the roster… a little early to have them as faves
A yankee fan critiquing the Mets for
Spending. Irony would like a word
Although I will miss him with the Dodgers. I am glad they didn’t go that high contract wise. What concerns me was how his arm was fatigued in the playoffs NLCS game 6. Wonder if that was an age thing, or just being worn out type of thing. Good deal for Scherzer though, but too risky for a Mets team that isn’t close to competing for anything.
With that contract, why would he need an opt out?
Because when playing for the Mets there is always a need to jump ship as it sinks into yet another season of insanity.
As a Met fan, I agree.
I think the opt-out here is kind of funny. Like if he’s in a position to opt out and make more than $43.3M in the 2024 season where he’s turning 40 that would be unbelievable.
I guess Mets couldn’t even be mad at that point because that would mean that he absolutely balled out for them.
So what if CBA decides hard cap? What happens with a team like the Mets? I mean it probably won’t happen but…..
I’m sure the CBA would grandfather in contracts or allow some exemptions.
This is one of the reasons many players are signing ASAP/before 12/1. You hit the nail on the head, antone.
No way the players allow a hard cap
hard cap can happen with a hard floor. To me the bigger concern is teams like the Pirates and Orioles just stinking it up for years. That’s awful for baseball and fandom.
No matter what happens, there will be at least one last-place team in each league.
@JoeBrady Haha. The issue is when it’s the same last-place team for a period of 5 years or more.
No way the MLBPA agrees to any kind of hard cap
The new Mets owner has too much money and zero common sense. He’s ruining baseball.
Sorry you feel that way. Want a tissue?
So, since he said he was going to sign before the lockout occurs, does that mean a lockout is in the next few days?
Everyone knows when the lockout starts. It isn’t a secret.
This kind of reminds me of the yankees signing Clemens. Except that Max isn’t a cheater. Let’s go Mets!
Ahhh, Clemens. I enjoyed watching my team beat them in 2003.
He gets paid over 1mm to pitch 5 innings 30 times in a yr!
Yes, yes he does. fine observation
Something like $60 for every seat in stadium for his home starts.
On March 30, 1966 Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale held out together for a 3 year $1,000,000 ($8, 536,697 today) contract. They were vilified.
So it has finally happened…….in 2022 one player will likely make more then the entire Oakland A’s roster……..been a long time coming…….
Mets still need 1 starter. Any predictions on who they get?
Dick Mountain aka Rich Hill
Baseball is better when teams that haven’t won in awhile spend money.
I partially disagree. I’ve enjoyed the Mets not winning a championship since 1986 – the longest championship drought by an NL East team.
Well, you will still get to enjoy it because they wont be winning anytime soon. Or did you forget the Braves just beat the Dodgers, with Max Scherzer pitching for them.?
This now means that the Phillies will have to give their 12-year, $848 million contract to Robbie Ray.
Wow, the amount of moves are making this offseason fun. Going to have to wait to see how everything sorts itself out by the December 1st deadline.
As for Scherzer and the rest of the Mets moves so far, if the Mets don’t make the playoffs this season, that will be their biggest epic fail…and their fans may have a difficult time showing their faces.
Of note with the Mets:
– Marte is a good player and a good leader. I hate he’ll be on a division rival. I am happy though that the Mets gave him a bunch of money and that extra year that the Marlins didn’t want to give at this stage of Marte’s career.
– Canha to me is pretty much a meh move. He’s nice, but not likely to be a changer for a team.
– Escobar is an upgrade from Davis.
– Scherzer was a serious need for the Mets in this division…and they still need more pitching.
The one thing that is questionable is the ages of the players added. You never know when Father Time comes calling. It surely seems like the Mets window is 2 years with these additions.
So much for wanting to stay on the west coast. Money talks. I hope he gets a chance for another ring. Mets are trying to right the ship. He may help.
So basically, they spent a quarter billion dollars on four guys in their mid to late 30s… hmm, ok
Cry about it.
Why cry, we all know the outcome. They will fall flat on their faces like they always do.
Who cares.
Now go get Stro !
Nope
$266M, and I’d still bet that they won’t win the division without additional pitchers. They finished 13th in scoring last year. They will score more this year, but probably only up to about league average.
They finished 5th in ERA, which is quite good, but they’ve only replaced (so far) Stroman’s 3.02 with Scherzer’s 2.46. And they’ve definitely upgraded their defense.
But they also finished with the 9th best record in the NL last year. In my back-of-the coaster calculation, Megill, Peterson, Walker and Carrasco are about a .500 team for 60% of the starts. Which means that Degrom & Scherzer need to win 64% of their games. Which they can easily do, but only if DeGrom & Scherzer make ~ 65 starts. If DeGrom is injured again, there is about a 50% chance they miss the playoffs.
They need another SP.
Spending a lot of cash and still going to be fighting
to not finish behind 2 other teams in the Division..
Yes. Sports fan, Thats why they play the games. to fight!
Rich Hill will be a fine addition
Oh man today is a great day to be a lifelong Mets fan!!!
Agree!
Baseball needs fixed. We shouldn’t have teams spending close to 300m and other teams spending 50m. What other professional sport is their such a wide range of payrolls? Players signing for huge amounts of money and then regressing, or playing under 100 games a year due to injuries, but still getting the fully guaranteed money for the life of the contract. Lock them out, and fix the damn sport so every team has a chance.
Youre not a cornucopian, are you? These numbers will seem small in a couple of decades
Baseball is fine as is. Spending doesn’t equate to winning if you’re not smart about it, and the bottom-feeders are largely there because of poor leadership or markets. Salaries are supposed to progress.
If @MetsFan22 feels that the 2021 Mets would win 103 games, he’s got to be feeling that the 2022 Mets are going to win about 130 games…and that’s before they add more to their eventual $400 million payroll for 2022. When they add the other pieces, they may go undefeated.
In other news, @Dan Hunter finally got Starling Marte to the Mets for his prediction that the Pirates trading him to the Mets was a done deal.
Man, we really need to get @MetsFan22 and @Dan Hunter to do a show together. It would make Matt Cerrone proud that guys whop were clearly influenced by his brand of journalism, would get together to create must-see tv. It’d be better than Anthony diComo or Mike Lupica’s work, but they slip up occasionally when they sometimes say something intelligent.
Steve Carlton was still a very good pitcher at 37-38, decent at 39, then it all unraveled. He was also a fitness aficionado throughout his career.
Pretty obvious why LA didn’t match the Mets’ offer.
All unraveled? Yes, he declined.
But somehow managed to strike out 196 batters in his age 41 season. Randy Johnson struck out more than 200 in his age 41 season. And then theres Nolan Ryan. Clearly, Scherzer is going to decline. We just dont know when, and it is certainly plausible that he will be an excellent if not elite pitcher after this contract expires
I don’t don’t know where you got that stat on Carlton. He struck out 163 with a 3.58 era in 1984 (age 39 season – turned 40 during off season).
After that, he was limited to 92 innings due to injuries in ’85, and then ineffectiveness the remainder of his career.
Anyone seen or heard from Farhan Zaidi lately?
He’s on retreat with the entire NL West
Just did some quick math. At $43,333,333; he’d pay $19,855,333 per year in state and fed taxes. I’m sure his tax attorney will make that hurt less, but still I figure a great deal of that money is going to the government.
You’re right that it’s almost certain to be a significantly lower amount than that, but still, I wonder that more players don’t seem to take the taxes of the state and sometimes, city, they’re signing with into account. Just as a for example, CA’s highest rate is 13.3% vs Illinois’ 4.95%. I get that the weather is better, but 8% is a significant difference. Texas and Florida should have an easy time luring FA’s with a 0% income tax.
It would be negligent for an agent not to keep his client informed. Not too hard to whip up a spreadsheet with hypothetical dollar figures for every team in baseball. Where a player has an established residence also matters.
@deron867
That leaves $23, 478,000 after taxes. I’d love to get hurt like that.
Thank you Mets, now we won’t see him as many times a year
Guess he doesn’t want to win any longer
Wow.
Wow. A lot to say here. But if you have the money to spend this is a guy you take the risk on. I would be elated if he was going 5o my team.
NO you wouldnt, not at 43 million for the next 3 years, on a guy who had a dead arm in the playoffs and will be 38 in july. If it was a 1 year deal, then I see it making sense, but this deal is by far the dumbest I have ever seen.
The dead arm seemed to be a one time thing along with the terrible decision to have him close game five. The Mets like a couple of teams can afford for this deal to backfire a bit so I think it’s a good move. I’m a Marlins fan and if we got him I would be excited but hesitant about the money. Since Cohen seems fine spending his then why not risk it on the best pitcher of this generation and someone who is still having fantastic seasons?
Congratulations Mets fans, exciting times for sure. By the way, has anyone seen or heard from Farhan Zaidi lately?
I thought the Giants would be big spenders this off-season, with so much $ coming off of the books?
I honestly think Posey retiring threw a wrench in the Giants plans.
Wow.
You know, if this has come from NYY or LAD, I’d Expect him to almost live up to his contract. But coming from the Mets, you could be pretty sure he’ll be out for Tommy John surgery before next July.
Max quit on the Tigers in his walk year(in playoffs).
And, he quit on the Dodgers in his walk year (in the playoffs).
See a pattern here!?
He was saving himself for the next big contract.
When “crunch time” comes, Max will quit on the Mets also…
Jack Morris had a “tired arm” also.
Difference is, Morris demanded the ball and refused to come out while pitching a 10 inning shutout that clinched an important World Series win and lead the Twins to a World Series title.
Scherzer did not want to risk failure and making himself look bad for his next contract negotiations…
Is that how Boras and his clients operate?!
Fans would like to know…
Want a tissue? Or a primer on capitalism? How about both- you could read and weep?
By your calculations. The Mets will be in the playoffs. Sounds good to me. deGrom will take it from there. Ty very much.
LMAO!!!!! 43 million a year for the next 3 for a guy thats gonna be 38 this year. Too bad it wont help them win the division. What a waste of money. GOod luck with that, morons
Money best allocated to two top options…no knock on Scherzer, but still needing pitching just how far over tax line does a team want to go
I predict another injury-riddled year for the Mets.
It’s not a coincidence that they’ve have had so many injuries the last few years. The medical/training staff needs to be fired.
The Mets are insane.
41 million for a guy to give you 6 innings maybe 7 innings only to watch the bullpen blow the game. How many games did the bullpen blow last year, have they done anything to fix that?
Its 43 million, even worse
Bullpen was not terrible, what costed them games more than anything was run production. Go check out how many 4-3, 3-2, 2-1, and 1-0 losses they carried last season.
A Yankee fan criticizing the Met for spending. Hilarious!!
I know one thing is for sure. the Dodgers better get on the ball and start signing some contracts. Or they are going to lose all of their free agents. and there won’t be anyone left the sign.
@number1dodger
That assumes that the Dodgers want to spend money that way. I don’t think that they really wanted to re-sign Scherzer at his going rate. Same goes for Seager. That is too much money. We’ll see what Taylor’s market value is but that seems too rich also for Friedman. Not sure if Jansen is back either, unless he take a lot less than the last contract and obviously less years. I think out of loyalty Friedman will take Kershaw on a 2-3 three year deal as long as Kershaw wants to be back. The bottom line is that the Dodgers need more younger cheap talent on the roster to blend in with their more expensive players. It’s rational to expect them to lose a lot of players to free agency.
Dodgers have a “loaded” farm system that produces rookie of the year candidates almost every year. Not worried about the Dodgers. They will put together a playoffs competitive team and roster. Neither the Giants nor the Dodgers are winning 106-107 games in ’22. Both teams will “come back to the pack” winning 90+ games.
The Padres will overcome their injuries and surge to 90+ wins also.
The NL West will be a 3 team dogfight from start to finish.
That’s what the consensus was last year about the Pads. Didnt happen, and not going to happen in 22 unless they make some major organizational changes. No chemistry
If Max throws 200 innings, which he hasnt since 2018, and throws 15 pitches per inning, he will get $14,444.44 PER PITCH……
And the Apple and Amazon billionaires make far more than 14k per hour on a good market day. Your point?
Anyone see or hear from Farhan Zaidi today? I hear ownership is looking for him.
He will be the NL Executive of the Year for this past season.
He may be waiting for the New Collective Bargaining Agreement to be signed.
Zaidi will be looking for and loading up on bargains before Spring Training.
No denying the truth. Scherzer tapped out. He didn’t answer the bell. For the money he was being paid he should’ve tried, but he was saving himself for the big payday he knew was coming. Scott Boras in his ear. Shut it down Max. You already have a ring. One year at 40 million will set you and your family up for life. I can get it for you Max. Think about it. 40 million for 3 years.
Max is way too competitive. I imagine the dead arm was quite serious and he knew he couldn’t help his team so he spoke up. Either you’re correct and he’s selfish or I’m correct and what he did is actually a sign of growth (admitting someone else is better off helping the team instead of yourself).
NAH, PEOPLE WILL REMEMBER MAX SCHERZER IN 50 YEARS. I STILL REMEMBER JIM PALMER,Tom seaver, Steve Carlton, and Sandy Koufax. IT’S HARD TO FORGET 3 TIME CY YOUNG AWARD WINNERS.
EASY TO SPEND OTHER PEOPLES MONEY, IF YOU WERE IN SCHERZERS POSITION IM SURE YOU’D ONLY TAKE 100,000 DOLLARS A YEAR SALARY BECAUSE YOU CAN LIVE VERY Comfortably ON THAT AND GIVE THE OTHER 42 MILLION TO A BUNCH OF PEOPLE YOU DON’T IN THE 3RD WORLD.
GIVE ME 10YEARS AND UNLIMITED RECOURSES AND I COULD TURN 99/100 people into doctors/physicists/teachers But with the exact same amount of time and money I would be 0/100 turning people into max SCHERZERS.
2022 World Series Champions:
New York Mets
*2049
*4092
Only if they insert Bobby Bonilla into the top of that lineup! I mean he’s still making money, might as well earn it!
Funny!!
I think Scherzer’s arm is shot. When his arm quit on him in October, that was the beginning of the end. I think the Mets will regret this deal very quickly.
Never underestimate old man strength lads.
Now that everyone else got the best of him, the Mets will get the rest of him.
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Max Saherzer right up until he signed the deal to join the Mets.. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Mets’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
The Minnesota Twins had also been linked to Scherzer.
Got an arm issue? Sign with the Mets! Youll blend in! That’s the model they’re using for pitchers at the negotiation table. Mets problem is their offense. Has been and still is. Can’t win when your pitchers have no support. Just ask deGrom!
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
The Minnesota Twins had also been linked to Scherzer.
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Max Scherzer right up until he signed the deal to join the Mets.. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Mets’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
The Minnesota Twins had also been linked to Scherzer.
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Max Scherzer right up until he signed the deal to join the Mets.. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Mets’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
So ur gonna do this on every post huh?
Man, I am hurting on the FA prediction contest lol.
I thought he was guaranteed to sign who whoever traded for him????
This is the definition of making an offer he can’t refuse! That is so much dough for very little work. Mets better hope to be contenders next year. I would have paid HALF for a syndergaard revival but that’s just me.
In a short series,e.g. playoffs, who is your no. 1 ace and who starts second?
Mets get their man. Congrats Scherzer.
Now that Scherzer is gone from the Dodgers I suspect we’ll hear what happened with the dead arm issue. That, and how Robert’s “mismanaged” his pitching staff during the playoffs.
Now sign Baez so Biden can sic Garland on the Mets for anti-trust violations! #LGFM!!!
jeez, Louise!
As good as Max is, this is just a ridiculous amount of money for someone who’s that old. It can only be explained as a desperate move by the Mets
That’s about $1.44 million per start. Pretty good payday.
”That’s about $1.44 million per start.”
That’s if a 37-40 year old pitcher doesn’t miss any starts.
He quit in October. That’s for sure. Dead arm? Never heard of that until this new age baseball. Now he’s getting 43 million a year. The game sure has changed.
Pitchers are garbage nowadays. Can’t go more than 4 innings. Actually quite embarrassing.
He had a neck problem and missed game 5 in 2019 WS and then it mysteriously disappeared the next day. He ended up pitching a total of 10 innings that WS and allowed 12 hits and 7 walks for a 1.900 WHIP. As a Nats fan I thank him for what he did for most of 7 years but those days are over. The Mets are making a lot of bad big contracts now and giving a 3 year $43.33M to a pitcher who will be 40 years old in the final year is a recipe for disaster. One TJ surgery and you are basically giving him $130M to sit home.
$273M in luxury tax obligations is not a way to run a franchise
Lindor and Scherzer are not worth anywhere near what the Mets are giving them.
I will be rooting for Scherzer when they are not playing the Nats but I am glad that he has moved on from Washington.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
He had a neck problem and missed game 5 in 2019 WS and then it mysteriously disappeared the next day. He ended up pitching a total of 10 innings that WS and allowed 12 hits and 7 walks for a 1.900 WHIP. As a Nats fan I thank him for what he did for most of 7 years but those days are over. The Mets are making a lot of bad big contracts now and giving a 3 year $43.33M to a pitcher who will be 40 years old in the final year is a recipe for disaster. One TJ surgery and you are basically giving him $130M to sit home.
$273M in luxury tax obligations is not a way to run a franchise
Lindor and Scherzer are not worth anywhere near what the Mets are giving them.
I will be rooting for Scherzer when they are not playing the Nats but I am glad that he has moved on from Washington.
Good to have, but don’t neglect the back of the rotation.
110 starts to Walker, Carrasco, Megill, Peterson… is a recipe for an 80-82 season.
Rodon and Kikuchi to soak up starts—if they’re serious. It’s on Eppler to build a team now. They’ll also miss about 130 starts in the OF, since all 3 starters miss a lot of time. Chris Taylor, or a Villar to free McNeil to play the OF as needed.
Now strike a deal with the Reds and Orioles for 2 more SP! Means and Gray would bring this starting staff incredible.
deGrom
Scherzer
Means
Gray
Walker
Peterson
Megill
Marte cf
Nimmo lf
Alonso 1b
Escobar 3b
Canha rf
Lindor ss
2b
C McCann
P
I’d like to see us resign Villar for his versatility. He can start at 2b or 3b.
I think McNeil, Davis and Smith are going for pitching now. Cano probably starts at 2b until he shows he’s done or popped for ped’s again.
Roster is built to win now as the average age jumps considerably. The biggest question is, can the training staff keep them healthy for a change?
Not a good line up. We need Baez or KB. This is a win now team.
It does not matter if the Mets have Max. They could even resurrect Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Don Drysdale, and Warren Spahn and they would still not beat out the Braves or Phillies.
This is too good LMAO LOL
still looking up at the Braves
The Mets had a better team the last few years at a much cheaper price.
They would have been better off doing what the Angels did by signing Syndergaard and Iglesias for about $35M and maybe take a chance on Lorenzen for $6.5M. All 3 for a couple Mill less than an old Scherzer.
As a Nats fan I was surprised to see his success this year but it was easy to see he is not the same pitcher the Nats signed.
The days of his 220 innings a year from 2013 to 2018 have already dropped about 50 innings per year the last couple of years to the 170s, a sure sign that the end is near.
Gonna hate to see him go out with the amount of booing the Mets are going to pile on him. Hope I’m wrong.
If he can be anywhere near what he was as a Nat you Mets fans are going to love him but I fear the writing is on the wall.
Have the Mets announced the deal (or the prior 3). Why does it take so long? Hadn’t they approved Max’ medicals before the deal was finalized?